Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 77 of 128 · 24 verses
Hanuman Kills Nikumbha
Seeing his brother Kumbha struck down by Sugriva, Nikumbha glares at the monkey king as if to burn him, and takes up his great iron bar, garlanded, marked with the five-finger sign, bound with gold and set with diamonds and coral, like Yama’s rod, like a peak of Mahendra. Whirling it, mouth wide, he roars; adorned with necklace, armlets, earrings and garland, he shines with it like a cloud with rainbow, lightning and thunder. The end of the bar shatters the knots of the winds; it blazes with a roar like smokeless fire; the sky with its stars, moon and planets, and the gandharva city Vitapavati, seem to whirl with it. Nikumbha becomes like the fire at the end of an age, fuelled by anger; monkeys and rakshasas alike are frozen with fear.
Hanuman alone stands in front of him, chest bared. Nikumbha brings the sun-bright bar down on his broad, firm chest, and it breaks into a hundred pieces like a hundred meteors scattering in the sky; the great monkey does not move, like a mountain in an earthquake. Hanuman clenches his fist and strikes Nikumbha’s chest with the speed of the wind; his armour bursts and blood flows, like lightning flashing from a cloud. Nikumbha staggers, recovers, and seizes Hanuman, lifting him up; the people of Lanka cheer. Even while being carried, Hanuman punches him with a fist like a thunderbolt, frees himself, lands on the ground, throws Nikumbha down and crushes him, leaps onto his chest, seizes his neck in both arms, twists it and tears off his head as he roars. With Nikumbha dead, a fierce battle begins between Dasharatha’s son and the son of a rakshasa lord, both full of anger; the monkeys roar and the directions echo; the earth seems to shake, the sky to fall, and fear enters the rakshasa army.
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निकुम्भो भ्रातरं दृष्ट्वा सुग्रीवेण निपातितम् । प्रदहन्निव कोपेन वानरेन्द्रमुदैक्षत ॥ १ ॥
Seeing his brother struck down by Sugriva, Nikumbha looked at the lord of monkeys as if burning him with anger.
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ततः स्रग्दामसंनद्धं दत्तपञ्चाङ्गुलं शुभम् । आददे परिघं धीरो महेन्द्रशिखरोपमम् ॥ २ ॥
Then the steadfast one took up a fine iron bar, bound with a garland of chains, marked with the five fingers, like a peak of Mahendra,
हेमपट्टपरिक्षिप्तं वज्रविद्रुमभूषितम् । यमदण्डोपमं भीमं रक्षसां भयनाशनम् ॥ ३ ॥
encircled with golden bands, adorned with diamonds and coral, terrible like Yama’s rod, the destroyer of the rakshasas’ fear.
तमाविध्य महातेजाः शक्रध्वजसमौजसम् । निननाद विवृत्तास्यो निकुम्भो भीमविक्रमः ॥ ४ ॥
Whirling it, with the might of Shakra’s banner, radiant Nikumbha, of terrible valour, roared with his mouth wide open.
उरोगतेन निष्केण भुजस्थैरङ्गदैरपि । कुण्डलाभ्यां च चित्राभ्यां मालया च सचित्रया ॥ ५ ॥
With a gold ornament on his chest, armlets on his arms, wonderful earrings, and a wonderful garland,
निकुम्भो भूषणैर्भाति तेन स्म परिघेण च । यथेन्द्रधनुषा मेघः सविद्युत्स्तनयित्नुमान् ॥ ६ ॥
Nikumbha shone with his ornaments and with that iron bar, like a cloud with rainbow, lightning and thunder.
परिघाग्रेण पुस्फोट वातग्रन्थिर्महात्मनः । प्रजज्वाल सघोषश्च विधूम इव पावकः ॥ ७ ॥
By the end of the bar the great soul shattered the knots of the winds; it blazed with a roar like a smokeless fire.
नगर्या विटपावत्या गन्धर्वभवनोत्तमैः । सतारागणनक्षत्रं सचन्द्रसमहाग्रहम् । निकुम्भपरिघाघूर्णं भ्रमतीव नभस्थलम् ॥ ८ ॥
With the city Vitapavati and the finest abodes of the gandharvas, with the hosts of stars and constellations, with the moon and the great planets, the sky seemed to whirl at the whirling of Nikumbha’s bar.
दुरासदश्च संजज्ञे परिघाभरणप्रभः । क्रोधेन्धनो निकुम्भाग्निर्युगान्ताग्निरिवोत्थितः ॥ ९ ॥
And the fire that was Nikumbha, fuelled by anger, its light the shine of the bar’s ornaments, became unapproachable, like the fire risen at the end of an age.
राक्षसा वानराश्चापि न शेकुः स्पन्दितुं भयात् । हनुमांस्तु विवृत्योरस्तस्थौ प्रमुखतो बली ॥ १० ॥
Rakshasas and monkeys could not move for fear; but mighty Hanuman, baring his chest, stood in front of him.
परिघोपमबाहुस्तु परिघं भास्करप्रभम् । बली बलवतस्तस्य पातयामास वक्षसि ॥ ११ ॥
The strong one, with arms like iron bars, brought the sun-bright bar down on the chest of that strong one.
स्थिरे तस्योरसि व्यूढे परिघः शतधा कृतः । विकीर्यमाणः सहसा उल्काशतमिवाम्बरे ॥ १२ ॥
On his firm, broad chest the bar was broken into a hundred pieces, scattering suddenly like a hundred meteors in the sky.
स तु तेन प्रहारेण न चचाल महाकपिः । परिघेण समाधूतो यथा भूमिचलेऽचलः ॥ १३ ॥
By that blow the great monkey did not move, shaken by the bar like a mountain in an earthquake.
स तथाभिहतस्तेन हनूमान् प्लवगोत्तमः । मुष्टिं संवर्तयामास बलेनातिमहाबलः ॥ १४ ॥
Struck so by him, Hanuman, best of leapers, very mighty, clenched his fist with strength.
तमुद्यम्य महातेजा निकुम्भोरसि वीर्यवान् । अभिचिक्षेप वेगेन वेगवान् वायुविक्रमः ॥ १५ ॥
Raising it, the radiant, valiant one, swift, with the valour of the wind, hurled it with force at Nikumbha’s chest.
तत्र पुस्फोट वर्मास्य प्रसुस्राव च शोणितम् । मुष्टिना तेन संजज्ञे मेघे विद्युदिवोत्थिता ॥ १६ ॥
His armour burst there and blood flowed; from that fist arose something like lightning rising from a cloud.
स तु तेन प्रहारेण निकुम्भो विचचाल च । स्वस्थश्चापि निजग्राह हनूमन्तं महाबलम् ॥ १७ ॥
By that blow Nikumbha staggered; and, recovering, he seized mighty Hanuman.
चुक्रुशुश्च तदा संख्ये भीमं लङ्कानिवासिनः । निकुम्भेनोद्यतं दृष्ट्वा हनूमन्तं महाबलम् ॥ १८ ॥
The dwellers of Lanka then cried out terribly in battle, seeing mighty Hanuman lifted by Nikumbha.
स तथा ह्रियमाणोऽपि हनूमांस्तेन रक्षसा । आजघानानिलसुतो वज्रकल्पेन मुष्टिना ॥ १९ ॥
Even while being carried off so by that rakshasa, Hanuman, son of the Wind, struck him with a fist like a thunderbolt.
आत्मानं मोक्षयित्वाथ क्षितावभ्यवपद्यत । हनूमानुन्ममाथाशु निकुम्भं मारुतात्मजः ॥ २० ॥
Freeing himself then, he came down to the ground; Hanuman, son of the Wind, quickly crushed Nikumbha.
निक्षिप्य परमायत्तो निकुम्भं निष्पिपेष च । उत्पत्य चास्य वेगेन पपातोरसि वेगवान् ॥ २१ ॥
Throwing Nikumbha down with the greatest effort, he ground him, and, leaping up, the swift one fell with force on his chest.
परिगृह्य च बाहुभ्यां परिवृत्य शिरोधराम् । उत्पाटयामास शिरो भैरवं नदतो महत् ॥ २२ ॥
Seizing his neck with both arms and twisting it, he tore off the great head of that one roaring terribly.
अथ निनदति सादिते निकुम्भे पवनसुतेन रणे बभूव युद्धम् । दशरथसुतराक्षसेन्द्रसून्वो- र्भृशतरमागतरोषयोः सुभीमम् ॥ २३ ॥
Then, when roaring Nikumbha had been struck down by the son of the Wind in battle, a very terrible battle took place between Dasharatha’s son and the son of a lord of the rakshasas, both of whose anger had risen greatly.
व्यपेते तु जीवे निकुम्भस्य हृष्टा विनेदुः प्लवंगा दिशः सस्वनुश्च । चचालेव चोर्वी पपातेव सा द्यौ- र्बलं राक्षसानां भयं चाविवेश ॥ २४ ॥
When Nikumbha’s life had gone, the leapers, delighted, roared, and the directions resounded; the earth seemed to shake, the sky seemed to fall, and fear entered the rakshasa army.